Paulina Vergara, MS
Geriatrician
As a society, we need to reduce the scale and impact of dementia by highlighting the needs of both patients and their caregivers, thereby fostering creative and empathetic solutions.
Current Work
Geriatrician and founder of the Memory Unit at the Regional Hospital of Concepción, she also serves as the clinical advisor for the Senior Citizen Program at the Concepción Health Service. In addition, Paulina is a collaborating professor at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Concepción.
Personal Hero
My Grandmothers, Irmita and Petita
Words of Strength
Dream big, collaborative and creative work, empathy
Vision
As a society, we need to reduce the scale and impact of dementia by highlighting the needs of both patients and their caregivers, thereby fostering creative and empathetic solutions across all aspects of their lives.
Strategy
Paulina is training primary care teams to apply comprehensive geriatric assessment to improve the sensitivity of clinical diagnoses and use a comprehensive approach to psychobehavioral symptoms and other needs, such as proportional management.
Impact
As an Atlantic Fellow, Paulina aims to collaborate on developing new health policies and promoting best practice to improve both hospital and out-of-hospital care, with the goal of enhancing the quality of life for people living with dementia and their caregivers.
Motivation
By educating on the application of comprehensive geriatric assessment, Paulina aims to promote early and timely diagnosis of dementia, as well as associated syndromes such as frailty and polypharmacy, and to improve the quality of life of people living with dementia.
Education & Experience
Paulina received her medical training at the Universidad Católica del Norte in Chile. She specialized in geriatrics at the University of Santiago de Chile. She then joined the Concepción Health Service and Hospital as the sole geriatrician, where she has successfully implemented projects benefiting patients with dementia and their families. In addition, Paulina supports teaching at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Concepción.
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Paulina
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